Kyle Larson was wheeling toward what would have been his first Chili Bowl crown when Bell darted through a low-line hole entering Turn 1 of the fifth-mile Tulsa Expo Raceway to take the checkered flag by 0.350-seconds. Larson, a NASCAR Cup Series star with Chip Ganassi Racing, had led laps 21-54 of the 55-lap A-Feature.

A regular in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing, Bell joined Kevin Swindell as the only drivers to win three consecutive Chili Bowl titles. Swindell, however, still stands as the only competitor to go four-for-four.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be able to win the Chili Bowl,” said Bell, a 24-year-old native of Norman, Okla., who cut his dirt track racing teeth in his home state and on various bull rings in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. “To do it three straight times is just unbelievable, but man, I don’t even care about three-straight. What about that race? I don’t think I’ve ever really been a part of a last-lap race like that, so I’m just glad that thing came out in the end. To win like I did there, it’s something I’m going to cherish the rest of my life.”

Bell won the 2017 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Championship with Kyle Busch Motorsports, a satellite operation of JGR.

Bell, driver of the iRacing/Keith Kunz Motorsports No. 71w, handed team-owner Kunz his eighth Golden Driller trophy…and a messed-up hot rod. The week-long extravaganza saw a total of 350 drivers participating. The official Chili Bowl Flip Car Count reached 75 _ ironically, with Bell adding his name as the final car over. Attempting to rip off a series of victory donuts, Bell banked his car off the cushion and tipped it over. Bell, and all drivers getting upside-down, were able to walk away.

Logan Seavey paced the first 20 laps with Larson in tow and Justin Grant and Bell giving chase. Larson completed his run to the lead on Lap 21 with a low-side pass off Turn 4. Bell moved around Seavey on Lap 33, only to have the pass negated by a caution.

Larson’s advantage came under fire on Lap 48 as slower traffic played into Bell’s advantage. Entering the final two laps, Bell was poised to attack. Looking for room to pass, the opportunity arose as the pair raced past the white flag. Tapping tires through the first two turns as Larson slipped off the bottom, he and Bell came together again through the third and fourth turns with neither wanting to concede. Freeing himself from Larson, Bell was able to dash to the flag.

Falling back to fourth on Lap 23, Grant re-took the spot on Lap 36 and held on for the show position in the NOS Energy Drink No. 4a. Racing from seventh, Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon crossed fourth with Zach Daum moving up three spots to round out the top-five. Involved in an earlier caution, Tyler Courtney ended as the night’s Hard Charger, as the Indiana resident rebounded from the tail to sixth. Brad Sweet in seventh was followed by C.J. Leary, Seavey and Tanner Thorson.

The 34th annual Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals is scheduled for Jan. 13-18, 2020, at River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa. Reserved seat tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, March 6, 2019. Ticket-holders will receive a notice in the mail. Fans are encouraged to sign up for email notifications through the Chili Bowl website. Fans also can track Chili Bowl Nationals news via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via @CBNationals. All official press, updates and results can be accessed online at http://www.chilibowl.com.